


New Kids on the Block

by Ace_From_Outer_Space, Nothing_You_Can_Prove



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game), Life Is Strange 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Gen, these poor characters need a break
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2020-11-02 05:02:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20630117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ace_From_Outer_Space/pseuds/Ace_From_Outer_Space, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nothing_You_Can_Prove/pseuds/Nothing_You_Can_Prove
Summary: When Brett Foster's family finally moves from the neighborhood, the Diaz family - and everyone else - can finally breathe a sigh of relief.They can only hope their new neighbors are more friendly.





	New Kids on the Block

**Author's Note:**

> After ep 4, I kinda wanna give all these poor kids a big ol’ hug. This is the best I can do, though.

Sean and Lyla sat on the Diaz’ porch, a firm tradition among friends. They watched the sun gradually set, bathing the street in a warm orange glow. Tomorrow was the weekend, full of possibilities. Lyla took a swig of her orange soda, jamming her hand into a bowl of chips between them. 

“Yeah, that’s right,” Sean shook his head, sighing deeply. “Touch them all.”

“I will, thank you.” 

Grinning, she stuck her hand in further. She purposefully wiggled it around, violently enough to knock a few chips onto the floor. Then, she grabbed a handful and shoved them in her mouth. 

Rolling his eyes, Sean muttered into his own soda, “Why do I even say anything?”

“You should’ve learned by now, Seanie-Boy,” she said between crunches, then licked cheese dust off her fingers. “Besides, if you haven’t caught anything from me yet, I think you’re safe.”

“I’ve built up an immunity to…” he vaguely gestured at her with his hand, “...whatever you have going on.”

Lyla snorted, then winked. “I’m infectious, baby.”

“Dork,” Sean managed through a stifled laugh. “Only you could sound so proud of that.”

“Loud and proud.” Lyla leaned back on her hands, her eyes drifting to a **‘FOR SALE’** sign down the street. “So, with that big, bad, ugly Brett gone, who do you think’ll move in?”

He shrugged. “I dunno.”

Unimpressed by his answer, she punched his shoulder almost making him spill his soda everywhere. 

“Hey! Watch it.”

“Sean, play along. Use that big, creative brain.” Lyla’s grin returned, bigger than before. “Or I’ll start to think you don’t have one.”

Moving his soda to a safe distance - aka, as far away from her as possible - he winced. She sure didn’t pull her punches. Never had.

“Ouch.”

She held up her hands. “Hey, after all the shit I’ve seen you do, I have every reason to doubt.”

“Says you,” Sean scoffed, recalling all the stupid things Lyla had ever done or even suggested. The list was long. “Hmm…”

He shoved chips in his mouth to stall for time. She wouldn’t give up until he offered a satisfactory answer, even if it took all night.

“Come on, Detective Diaz,” she nudged his shoulder more gently this time, “you gotta enlighten us with your words of wisdom.”

He hadn’t really thought about who would move into the neighborhood next, only that Brett the Bully was leaving. They could all breathe a sigh of relief over that. 

“Maybe… witches.”

“Spooky.” Lyla nodded sagely. “So, what do you think they’re gonna do here?”

“Go into the woods and do, like… witch stuff.” When she raised an eyebrow, he elaborated. “Potions and shit. Demonic sacrifices.”

“Shame Brett _ is _moving away, huh.” 

She cackled loudly at the thought of Brett being used in some ritual. Sean chuckled with her, partly at the mental image and partly at her laugh. Lyla was right, she was infectious sometimes.

“I’m sure they’ll catch up with him eventually. What do you think?”

“That, my dear Sean,” Lyla waggled her finger playfully, “is a good question. I have plenty of theories.”

She began listing them in great detail, ranging from vampires and serial killers to undercover foreign diplomats, usurped royalty and superheroes. Honestly, Sean was impressed. Nothing new there. He could quite happily sit on this porch and listen to Lyla’s crackpot theories forever.

“Wow, you’ve… put a lotta thought into this.” 

“Duh, this is me we’re talking about. I do my research. Me, Daniel and Chris were brainstorming the other day.” She smiled fondly. “They _ really _want a superhero. You know, to join their squad.”

“Of course they do.”

“It was super cute watching them get all hyped up. I asked Cas and Finnegan, too.”

Sean smirked. Finn seemed to _ hate _it when Lyla called him that. Everyone in their small group of friends had adopted the name recently, much to his melodramatic disgust. They all suspected he secretly loved it, though. Anything to be the center of attention.

“And?”

“They both thought aliens.” Lyla shrugged. “Not very original but a valid theory nonetheless. Whoever it is, they gotta be an improvement on Brett.”

“I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”

“Yeah, tomorrow.”

Sean’s eyebrows raised. “Shit, that soon?”

“Sometimes, I wonder if you even pay attention to anything in the real world. Yes, that soon.” Lyla shook her head, then rubbed her hands together, plotting. “We’ll have to do some snooping.”

“Right, and potentially make our lives a living hell all over again because we annoyed the neighbors. Great plan.”

Lyla gently tapped his hands, reprimanding of negative thoughts. “Chillax. We got some good karma coming our way.”

She flopped back down onto the porch, almost sending her half-finished soda can and the chip bowl flying.

“You’re like a damn tornado. You do realize that, right?” Sean said as he joined her, more carefully. 

Lyla simply stuck out her tongue, watching the sky shift color as the first few stars appeared. Sean smiled and rested his hands on his stomach, carefree and happy. He couldn’t think of anywhere he’d rather be than here on the porch with his best friend in the whole wide world, watching the night roll in.

* * *

Morning came. Sean rolled over in his sleep. Everything felt hard underneath him. He opened his bleary eyes, confused when he didn’t see his bedroom walls. Lyla was sprawled out beside him, snoring. They had fallen asleep on the porch. He noticed the pile of blankets covering them. They definitely hadn’t been there last night. His dad must’ve done that. Yawning, he sat up and stretched. The backdoor was slightly ajar, a waft of pancakes and brownies carried on the wind. 

“Lyla.” He poked her, getting a groan in return. “Yo, come on. Time to get up.”

On the second harder poke, she opened one eye the tiniest amount. “Seeeeaaaaan, no. Sleep.”

“I think dad’s making pancakes,” he said, hoping that the promise of food would get her up. 

Somewhat reluctant, Lyla rose from the blanket pile like something out of a horror film - messy hair and awkwardly angled limbs. 

“Alright, alright, I’m up.” She rubbed her eyes, blinking several times. Her voice was thick with sleep. “Huh, guess we crashed outside.”

“Yeah. Pretty sure dad smothered us in blankets when he realized.”

Lyla offered a dozy grin. “Your dad’s a sweetheart.”

It took them a few minutes to trust their legs enough to stand. They shuffled into the kitchen, guided by the sweet smells. Their stomachs rumbled loudly. Esteban and Daniel were stood at the stovetop, a brown and white dog sat at their feet patiently waiting for scraps.

“Oh look,” Esteban - who was sporting a black apron with the words ‘Holy Crêpe!’ emblazoned on the front - turned around, spatula in hand. “I’ve attracted some of the local teenlife.” He glanced at Daniel and the dog, putting a finger to his lips. “We have to be very quiet, Daniel and Mushroom. Wouldn’t want to scare them away.”

“Liking the apron, Mr. Diaz,” Lyla said approvingly.

“Why, thank you, Lyla. It was a difficult choice, so many good options.” He expertly flipped a pancake out of the pan. “Now, if you guys could set the table, we can have breakfast.”

Once the table was set, Esteban brought over a stack of pancakes. They didn’t last long. 

“Hours slaving over a hot stove, only seconds to eat.” He sighed melodramatically. “It almost doesn’t seem worth it.”

“Maybe if you didn’t burn half of them, it wouldn’t take so long,” Sean said between bites.

Esteban shook his head. “Maybe next time you can make them yourself, if you think you can do better.”

“They were really awesome,” Lyla interjected, kicking Sean’s shin under the table. “Thanks, Mr. Diaz.”

“Um, ow!” Sean rubbed his leg.

“Yeah, there were amazing!” Daniel agreed eagerly. “You should do them, like, every day.”

“Uh-huh.” Esteban raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “Maybe once a week, or you’ll turn into a sugar monster.”

Daniel pouted, disappointed his compliment didn’t have the desired endless pancake effect he wanted. After breakfast, Lyla, Sean and Daniel tidied the table and washed up while Esteban checked the oven.

“I’m making brownies to take to the new neighbors later. We’ll try around two.”

“Aw man…” Lyla’s shoulders slumped. “I have work then. I _ really _wanted to meet them.”

“So long as we don’t, uh...” Esteban cleared his throat, “...make a bad impression, I’m sure we can go again some other time with you.”

Lyla turned to her right, eyes narrowing. “Sean, don’t mess this up for me.”

“Why me?” Sean jabbed his thumb across the table. “Daniel’s more likely to annoy them.”

“No I am not!”

“It’s too early in the morning to argue.” Sighing, Esteban rubbed his temples. “Sean, how about you and Lyla take Mushroom for a walk.”

“Sounds good. You can drop me off home on the way back,” Lyla got to her feet and stretched her arms above her head, “since _ some _of us have to earn a paycheck today.”

Packing up her bag, Lyla grabbed her jacket while Sean attached Mushroom’s lead. The pair left the house, heading over to a nearby park. Mushroom bounced happily alongside them, her little legs working overtime. They lapped the park a few times, stopping to let Mushroom sniff and explore. Lyla swung her arms as they walked along the uneven path cutting through the grassy field.

“You’ll have to let me know what the neighbors are like. If there’s anything… suspicious.”

“You’ll be the first one to know, trust me.”

“Then we can get Cas and Finnegan on board with hardcore investigating. They seemed pretty intrigued when I told them.” Lyla twirled around, walking backwards so she could grin at Sean. “We should take bets.”

“Good luck getting money out of Finn if he loses.”

If anyone gave Finn money, it was foolish to expect it back. To his credit, he did find ways to pay people back… eventually. Rarely in the way you’d expect.

“Finnegan,” Lyla corrected, “and I have my ways. Just worry about _ you _losing money.”

“Who says I’ll lose?”

“I do.”

“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“No problem, mi amigo.”

When they finally reached Lyla’s house, she hugged Sean tight. He hugged her back. Mushroom twirled around them, almost tripping them up when they pulled apart. 

“See you later, Diaz.”

Giving Mushroom one final pat, Lyla blew a kiss and disappeared inside. Sean returned home, spending the rest of the morning in his room listening to music and doodling. When it hit two o’clock Sean, Daniel and Esteban made their way across the street armed with brownies.

“Now, be on your best behavior,” Esteban said, shifting the brownies to one hand. “Let these poor people think we’re normal for five minutes.”

He knocked firmly on the door. They waited. A girl answered - mid-length brown hair, blue eyes and freckles. She rubbed the back of her neck, nervous.

“Oh, uh, hi there.”

“Why, hello there. Esteban Diaz,” he held out his hand for a shake, “the best neighbor you’ll find around these parts. I hope you like brownies.” 

“Max, who’s there?” 

A blonde girl with hazel eyes waltzed into the hallway behind Max, tilting her head curiously. 

“Just a humble neighbor, with brownies.” He held up the chocolate offering. “Esteban Diaz. And these are my boys, Sean and Daniel.”

“Hi,” Daniel greeted with a wave.

She looked at the brownies, then smiled warmly. “Well, Mr. Diaz, you can come around more often. Chloe’s gonna love these… if she ever gets out of bed. Name’s Rachel. This is Max. Come in, I was just making coffee.”

No hesitation, Esteban followed after her. “Don’t mind if I do.”

They all piled inside the house. It was still mid-unpacking, several battered cardboard boxes strewn about the hallway. Some had marker scribbles on them in different handwriting - **BLACKHELL** , **ROADTRIP PHOTOS** , **CHLOE’S ** <strike>**JUNK** </strike>** TREASURE**… Sean, Daniel and Esteban sat down at the wobbly table in the kitchen. Rachel stood at the counter, waiting for the coffee maker to finish. While she did that, Max took the brownies and transferred them onto a plate with some other sweet treats. After Rachel had jammed a newspaper under the worst of the table legs, she and Max joined the Diaz family. 

“Where are you guys from?” Esteban asked as he sipped at his coffee.

“We just move from Arcadia Bay,” Rachel said, taking a bite out of a brownie. “Mmm, these are so good.”

Esteban lit up. “Oh, I know the place. Went fishing there with Charles before. Lemme guess, you’ve recently graduated from Blackwell.”

“Yup, that’s us. Although…” Max glanced out of the window with a wistful stare, “...you can never truly escape the Bay.”

A new voice entered the conversation. “Hey, wasn’t anyone gonna tell me there were brownies?”

They all turned to see a tall girl with electric blue hair shuffle into the kitchen.

“Afternoon, sleepyhead.” Rachel smiled at her. “About time you got up.”

“To be fair, I wasn’t expecting to see her before five,” Max teased, joining in the brownie eating session. “This might be a record for you, Chlo.”

“Har dee har.” 

Chloe poured out a mug of coffee, then snatched a brownie from the table. 

“Your hair!” Daniel’s jaw dropped, practically vibrating with excitement and awe. “It’s blue!”

“Good to see your eyes are working, kid.”

“It’s really, really, _ really _cool.” Daniel turned to his father with puppy dog eyes. “Can I get blue hair too?”

Esteban chuckled, ruffling his son’s hair. “Sure. We’ll get you some hair spray later.”

“We can do Sean’s too.” Daniel focused on his brother, brain working overtime. “He gets… pink.”

Sean imagined it too. Lyla, Cas and Finn would totally dig it. “I could definitely rock pink.”

Esteban grinned from ear to ear. “Guess that leaves me with purple.”

“Sounds like you have a fun evening planned,” Rachel said as she swirled her coffee mug.

“It’s all fun and games in the Diaz household.”

“Reminds me of my childhood,” Chloe added fondly, “just with fewer explosions.”

Max scoffed. “That was, like, half our childhood.”

“Ha, oh there are still plenty of those.” Esteban smiled at his sons. “Too many, some might say.”

“Don’t act all innocent,” Sean protested. “You make at least half in the kitchen.”

“Blasphemy!” Esteban chugged the rest of his coffee, smacking his lips. “Anyway, we’d better get going - I’m sure you girls have plenty to do - but expect an invitation for an epic barbeque sometime in the future.”

At the mention of food, Chloe grinned. “Now you’re talking my lingo.”

“If you keep feeding her, you won’t be able to get rid of her,” Rachel said, eyes twinkling with mischief. “We learned that the hard way, right, Max.”

“Yup.”

Chloe pouted. “Hey!”

Esteban chuckled. “Duly noted.”

After being thanked for the brownies, they left the three girls in peace. Mushroom was waiting for them when they got back, barking happily with a wagging tail. Esteban grabbed some snacks from the cupboards while Sean and Daniel picked a film, with only minor disagreement. As they settled, Mushroom jumped up and curled into Daniel’s side, resting her head on his lap. Partway through, Sean’s phone buzzed with a torrent of messages from Lyla. 

**Lyla: Soooooooo**

**Lyla: were they witches?**

**Sean: dunno**

**Sean: didnt stay for long**

**Lyla: so no cauldrons or suspicious, unlabeled bottles then**

**Sean: no broomsticks either**

**Sean: just three high school graduates**

**Lyla: hmmm**

**Lyla: thats what they WANT you to think sean**

**Lyla: we are on the brink of discovery**

**Lyla: i can taste it**

**Sean: we literally just started investigating**

**Lyla: shhhh**

**Lyla: i need to get Cas and Finnegan on this **

**Lyla: STAT!**

Sean’s phone buzzed again.

** _Lyla has changed the group chat to: ‘Lyla and the Witch Hunters’._ **

**Finnegan: hey**

**Finnegan: why are you the only one in the title?**

**Lyla: Finnegan**

**Finnegan: FINN**

**Lyla: Finnegan**

**Lyla: We all know im the leader**

**Cas: wait**

**Cas: better idea**

The group chat suddenly went silent, Cassidy and Lyla clearly colluding behind the scenes. 

**Finnegan: i do not like this**

**Finnegan: whatre you guys up to**

**Finnegan: guys?**

**Finnegan: hellooooooo**

**Finnegan: ???**

** _Lyla change the group chat to: ‘Finnegan, the whiny witch hunter, and his much cooler friends’. _ **

Sean stifled a snort.

**Cas: there**

**Cas: happy?**

**Finnegan: I AM NOT**

**Lyla: good :p**

**Lyla: now, back to business**

**Lyla: sean’s got new neighbors**

**Lyla: as we all know**

**Cas: the aliens**

**Finnegan: definitely aliens**

**Lyla: don’t jump the gun, guys**

**Lyla: sean entered the belly of the beast but found nothing**

**Lyla: we need to amp up this investigation**

**Lyla: sean**

**Lyla: you need to write everything you found out today**

**Sean: busy atm**

**Lyla: there is nothing more important than this**

“Sean.” Esteban’s voice made him look up. 

“Uh, sorry. Lyla’s blowing up my phone.”

His father smiled. “It’s okay, you are dismissed. You’ve stayed longer than you normally do. Me and Daniel will just have to eat all the choco crisps on our own.”

Daniel clapped excitedly, making Mushroom stir. “Yeees!”

Sean shook his head with a smile, then left them to it. He went into his room, shutting the door, then checked the group chat again. 

**Lyla: once we have that intel, we can start snooping**

**Cas: count me in**

**Finnegan: same**

**Finnegan: i make a mean detective**

**Cas: you make a mean something alright**

**Finnegan: you know it**

**Cas: well, lets see who figures it out first**

**Cas: bet you five dollars i will**

**Finnegan: you’re on**

**Cas: you in Lyla**

**Lyla: you bet i am**

**Lyla: i am totally gonna beat your asses**

**Sean: sorry, afk**

**Sean: all i know is that they came from Arcadia Bay and went to somewhere called Blackwell?**

**Lyla: interesting, interesting**

**Cas: any names to go on?**

**Sean: yeah. I think it was Max, Rachel and Chloe**

**Sean: something like that anyways**

**Finnegan: not a bad start**

**Finnegan: see you nerds when i’ve won!**

**Cas: while i love the confidence, that ain’t happening Finnegan**

**Finnegan: FINN**

**Finnegan: when i do win, you’ll have to start calling me King Finn instead**

**Lyla: not. happening.**

The group chat went completely dead after that. Sean smiled, knowing his friends were super competitive. Dangerously so. He had no idea who would figure this mystery out first. Whatever happened, he knew _ for a fact _that it’d be entertaining. 

**Author's Note:**

> Wish I could’ve made this longer but time ain’t on my side. Might return to this at some point, whenever inspiration strike. I need some nice fluff stuff to offset the LIS 2 angst trainwreck, lol. Have an awesome day!


End file.
